iTunes Editors' Notes

Home Again is the accomplished debut by Londoner Michael Kiwanuka. Lush and mellow, the album blends acoustic folk and retro soul with jazzy embellishments. It’s an easy album to get into. The first track, “Tell Me a Tale”, opens with a brisk flurry of notes from a flute before acoustic guitar, bass, piano, and drums fall in. By the time Kiwanuka’s smooth, honey-rich voice rings out, you’re hooked. Joining later are horns, organ, and strings, making an organic template that’s used for the rest of the recording. Each song is well-crafted and carefully arranged, and they sound familiar and fresh all at once. “Bones” is a clever cross between countrypolitan and doo-wop. “Always Waiting” and “I Won’t Lie” are densely textured ballads, while “Rest” and the title track are sophisticated, laid-back pop tunes that would have worked on AM radio in the '70s and certainly work now. Even songs with world-weary lyrics, such as “Worry Walks Beside Me”, come across as more redemptive than downer thanks to the melody's easy flow. Home Again is a strong debut from an undeniable talent.

Customer Reviews

Good voice - average songs

by
Thehellhecould

This guy has a good voice but the songs are mundane and really not very interesting. It verges on over -production in some cases and given the hype surrounding this release it can only disappoint. Having seen him on TV he is a competent performer but suffers from the Joan Armatrading syndrome - little or no charisma as stage presence.

First Class

by
Debbie Leoni

Totally love it

Just excellent

by
vogel421

A wonderful, skilled performer with great material and a superb delivery. This is a thoroughly likeable album from a thoroughly likeable bloke.

Biography

Born: 1987 in London, England

Genre: R&B/Soul

Years Active: '00s, '10s

With his acoustic blues-folk sound and timeless soulful voice, singer/songwriter Michael Kiwanuka has been favorably compared with the likes of Curtis Mayfield, Terry Callier, and Van Morrison. Born in Muswell Hill, London in 1987, to Ugandan parents who had fled Idi Amin's regime in the '70s, he initially developed a love of rock music, in particular Radiohead and Nirvana, performing in various covers bands and temporarily studying jazz at the Royal Academy of Music and pop music at Westminster...